His Touch
by FairyTailxoLove
Summary: They had kissed, but he was still the same. He still mussed her hair, still teased her, still made her crazy. But it was his touch...his touch had changed. ONE-SHOT. GaLe. Read & Review!


**ONE SHOT: HIS TOUCH******

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. 'Nuff said.

AN: I drew my first cover page today! Yay! You can check it out on my DeviantArt (Link on my profile). Sorry if it sucks; my hand is shaky and I feel dizzy. I just had a blood test, fainted in the blood test place's washroom, split my lip on the way down, and I feel like shit :(. Also, I haven't taken art since elementary school (I took Drama instead), and I didn't color it since I suck at that...Alright, on with the GaLe!  


Levy hummed contently, idly flipping pages through her novel. She couldn't get passed the first chapter; her brain didn't seem to absorb any of the context that the book held. As surprising as it may seem, her heart just wasn't in it.

She stretched out under the blistering sun, feeling as lazy as a cat on a summer day. The feel of the beach's warm sand on her exposed stomach felt a little nice, and she just wanted to take a nap.

She closed her eyes, blissfully tuning out her nakama's shouts and laughter as they swam in the ocean without a care in the world.

"Oi, Shirmp. Get up."

Levy felt a flurry of sand land on her back, as if someone had kicked some onto her. She found herself crying out slightly in pain, and blearily opened her eyes.

Towering above her position on the ground stood a dripping-wet Gajeel. His black swim trunks clung to his hips, water droplets falling from his bare torso and long, black hair. His pierced face was pulled down in a scowl, and his peculiar crimson eyes told her that he was annoyed.

"Hmmm?" Levy mumbled, still drowsy.

"Baka, did you even think to put on sunscreen? You're whole back is burnt," he grumbled in that deep, growly tone he had.

"Oh, it is?" Levy tried sitting up, and winced.

_"Yeah,"_ she thought to herself. _"That's a really bad burn."_

"Do you think you need some sunscreen on your back?" Gajeel looked down at the blue-haired beauty without any expression.

"Sunscreen won't help sunburn. I need Aloe Vera," Levy said, shakily climbing to her feet. "I'm sure Mirajane has some."

Without another thought, Gajeel hoisted Levy up, piggy-back style.

"G-Gajeel? What are you doing?" Levy asked timidly into his hard shoulder.

"Taking you to Mirajane," he replied stonily, not breaking his stride.

No other words were said by the odd pair, and Levy brooded in their companionable silence.

_"Before, he wouldn't even think about carrying me_," Levy thought to herself. _"He wouldn't have even bothered to tell me that I'm sunburned."  
_  
Maybe...just MAYBE, it was because of the kiss.

A few months prior to this trip to the beach, Levy had built enough courage and confidence to confess her feelings to the man she was head-over-heels in love with.

However, even little Levy -who was famous for her great gift of words- couldn't seem to do anything but mumble unintelligibly in the presence of Gajeel.

When he was just about to leave, Levy threw herself at him, and...kissed him. She didn't even jump high enough to reach his mouth; she kissed the edge of it, and ran off.

For a few days after that, she burrowed in her embarrassment and refused to come to the Guild. Eventually, Gajeel had come to Fairy Hills; he had told her that just being her nakama, after all that they've been through was a giant step for him. He told her that he couldn't want her in the way she yearned to be wanted. He had told her this, and unintentionally broke her heart.

Yet he treated her the same as always; her presence was the only one he tolerated (aside from Lily), her hair was the only one he mussed, and he still relished getting a rise out of her.

_"But now, his touch seems more...tender,"_ she mused, her tiny fingers interlocking together, around him. When he pulled her tighter against him, she blushed.

"You alright, Shorty? You seem like you're burning up," he asked.

"Oh no, no. It's jut the Sun," she lied easily, attempting to rid herself of heat on her face.

"Oi! Mirajane!" Gajeel called out loudly. Levy peeked her hazel eyes over his burly shoulder, at the lovely face of the white-haired barmaid.

Mirajane's initial reaction was surprise, followed by shock, followed by confusion, with glee, mischief, and devious intentions tagging along.

"Oh! What do we have here?" Mirajane asked in that sweet, motherly voice of hers.

"Levy burnt her back," Gajeel said gruffly.

Levy would be lying if she said that her heart didn't skip a beat when he said her name.

**"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Missy!"** her mind scolded her. **"He made it very clear that he's not into you!"**

"Although, maybe he said that because he feels he doesn't deserve you after what he did to you," her heart told her thoughtfully.

It was almost like two miniature versions of Levy propped on her shoulders; one was **Mind**, and the other was Heart.

**"Oh, shut up, Heart!"** Mind snapped.

"You're being cold, Mind!" Heart whined. "We all know you're being too hard on yourself."

**"I'm being logical,"** Mind snapped. **"I'd rather not end up as a weak, weepy mess like you, Heart!"  
**  
"This isn't your field, Mind. You can't calculate love; you express it through me, the Heart."

_"Uhmm, Heart? I have to agree with Mind. I followed you, and I didn't think through my confession. Now look where I am,"_ Levy thought dejectedly.

Mind blew Heart a raspberry, which Heart promptly ignored.

"It's all for the best, Levy! He really does like you, even if you can't see it..."

"Levy?"

Levy was abruptly brought back to reality at the sound of her name coming from Gajeel's lips again.

"Ohh, yeah. Uhm, I need some Aloe Vera for my back, please," she told Mirajane.

Mirajane smiled softly at the petite girl. After rummaging through a bag, she pulled out a small tube.

"Why don't you lie down, and I'll put some on your back?" Mirajane suggested.

To the average eye, it looked like a harmless suggestion. However, Levy could see that there was a sly look plastered on the Demon's face.

In the blink of an eye, Gajeel snatched the tube out of Mirajane's outstretched hand. Mirajane blinked in surprise, playing her part completely well.

"I found the Shrimp. I'll put it on her," he said shortly.

"Oh, really? You don't have to, Gajeel," Mirajane said, trying to hide her evil smirk.

"Yeah, seriously," Levy chirped, having to bite back a grin. "I don't mean to impose..."

"Shaddap, would ya? I said I'd do it," Gajeel barked.

But despite his irritated tone, his fingers were gentle when he reached for her.

He set her facedown onto the towel, laying her on the sandy shore. As Levy heard the opening of the tube, Mira called out:

"You can't put that on with her bikini strings still in place! You have to take it off!"

"Mirajane," Levy gritted through her teeth, burying her face into the towel. She was glad that no one could see her face.

Her eyes popped open as she felt the strings of her top come loose.

"H-hey!" Levy protested feebly, out of embarrassment.

"Hold still, Shrimp. If you want to do this, we might as well do this right." Curiously, his voice seemed a little hoarse.

"O-okay," Levy squeaked. A warm hand brushed her wavy blue hair to the side, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

And at last, a substance-filled hand landed flat on her back.

"It's gooey!" Levy whined.

She could sense the smile in his voice when he replied, "Gooey? That's cute."

Levy was too stunned to speak because of his choice of words. With delicate caresses along her spine, Gajeel's fingers moved along her skin as if he had been doing it for years.

These weren't the rough, bruise-leaving hands that beat her, shamed her, and tied her to a tree.

These were the hands that loved her, worshiped her, and seemed to memorize the patterns of her back, so they would never forget.

"Gajeel?" She mumbled drowsily.

"Yeah?" He grunted, still concentrating on her back.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, turning her head to the side. Her voice gave way that she wasn't just talking about the massage.

She was asking him all the questions she never could: Why is he here? Why does he still talk to her, and treat her the same? Why does he care if she's hurt, when he told her he didn't care at all? Why is he still messing with her heart, when he tore it out months ago?

His hands halted in their actions, splayed against her lower back.

"...I...SHIT. I don't fucking know," he sighed, seeming resigned. She felt a pull against her chest, and realized that he was tying her top back on.

She felt a small pat against her backside, and heard a small "Gihihi."

"Gajeel!" She scampered upright, whirling to find him appraising her with amused eyes. When she boldly looked into his red eyes, he dropped his gaze.

"I...guess I'll be seeing you." He walked passed her, not before casually mussing her hair. Unlike last time though, he didn't remove his hand. It lingered on the crown of her head, and slid down, his fingers lightly tracing her cheek, and then went to grasp her chin with Aloe Vera-softened fingers.

He tilted her head back, so he could look into those anxious hazel eyes; his face was expressionless.

At that moment, Mirajane popped up, taking in the scene with wide, blue eyes.

"Oh...am I interrupting something?"

"Tch." Gajeel simply turned around, walking away from the both of them without looking back.

Levy and Mirajane just stood there, watching him walk away.

"He seems...different," Mirajane said slowly.

"No," Levy shook her head, a knowing smile on her lips. "He's still the same..."

"...It's his touch that's different."

**AN: Just me observing those tiny little gestures that hint a guy or girl liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes you! ;)**

It doesn't necessarily have to be them saying "I like you." You can tell by those absentminded little touches waaaaay before they actually admit it :3 You know, from a "Hey, look at this", to softly brushing their fingertips against your arm to get your attention. From a "Give that back!", to a "I will tickle you to death unless you hand it over."

Well, that's my hypothesis on the complex study (well, complex to me atleast) of human affection. And I'm definitely no expert!

I got the whole idea for Levy being burnt and needing Aloe Vera from "The Big Bang Theory" (it's a show). Sheldon had said to Penny, "Would you like some Aloe Vera? You just got buuuuurned!" And that's how I instantly got inspired to write this story. Yep. My mind works in weird ways.

Read and Review please! Any mistakes noted (typing this up on my phone :P)? Anything you liked? Didn't like? I was kind of thinking I should add another chapter as a prequel; when Gajeel "rejected" her and her awkward kiss...too much? Is this good the way it is? Teeeeeellllll meeeeeeee! Because reviews make me Happy. Aye!

**FairyTailxoLove**


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